Transfer Rumors: Arsenal To Compete With Liverpool For Disgruntled $85.4M England Striker

Manchester City striker Raheem Sterling desperately wants out of the Etihad Stadium, and Arsenal is more than happy to take him in--according to a report from Spanish outlet Todo Fichajes.

The report noted that Arsenal is willing to field a serious offer for the 5-foot-7 skipper as Manchester City is reportedly valuing Sterling at around €80 million ($92.4 million).

He has been garnering interest from rival clubs after not touching the field for quite some time, only appearing nine times and scoring one goal thus far in the season.

Sterling’s lack of playing time could pin the blame on Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

However, the decision the limit Sterling's pitch appearance seems to be justified as the 26-year-old has played very poorly in his most recent runs with the team.

It could be argued that the arrival of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa this past summer has demoralized him.

Sterling upped his contract with Manchester City during the 2019-20 season worth £62.4 million ($85.4 million) over the next four years and has two years left on that deal.

Arsenal’s pursuit of Sterling comes as no surprise after Nicolas Pepe’s failures to secure a spot at manager Mikel Arteta’s lineups.

Going after Sterling would give Arteta a major upgrade in the attacking position and someone that he could pair up alongside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette.

Liverpool’s interest in Sterling is worth noting as they already have Mohamed Salah leading the charge with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota all filling out their roles as backup options for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

It makes no sense for Liverpool to go after Sterling unless Mane, Firmino or Jota is planning to ask for a transfer out of the club soon, which any of them are unlikely to do.

Sterling’s club teammate Kevin De Bruyne hopes that he changes his mind soon as he believes that all of them have a part to play in Manchester City’s success this season.

However, the number of pursuers, including La Liga giants Barcelona, could have already convinced Sterling to leave Manchester City during the January transfer window.

A change of heart from him is not to be expected as his frustrations with not playing have already boiled over, and the only thing that everyone is waiting for is where he will play soon.